Rugby League Coaching Manuals

"There's some interviews our salary cap team want to conduct down here," Gallop said. "It's still important we complete our own investigation down here, and I expect that will happen fairly quickly.

"They gave no indication today that they won't be co-operating. It's a series of interviews Ian Schubert wants to conduct."

However, Gallop offered some consolation to the players, saying he believed most of them were innocent victims.

"In terms of the players and staff, I said they were passengers in a car doing 160km/h in a 60km/h zone. They were innocent victims and I still feel very sorry for them," he said.

Gallop addressed players, staff and coach Craig Bellamy for more than an hour at the club's AAMI Park base.

It was his first visit to the Storm since the club's rorts made headlines around the world and Melbourne was stripped of two premierships, three minor premierships, all competition points for 2010, $1.1 million in prizemoney and fined $500,000.

Up to 13 players are believed to have been paid beyond the cap.

Storm chief executive Ron Gauci, who replaced Brian Waldron who was named as chief architect of the rorting, said yesterday's meeting was productive.

"It was a very productive meeting and a good opportunity for the NRL to talk openly with all staff and players," Gauci said.

"Basically the players were seeing some clarity and I think David got a better understanding of how the Storm players and staff felt. And we got a better explanation of what the process was, what occurred and why the penalties were given.

"Bridges can now start to be mended. Progress has definitely been made and that started with handshakes all around."

Gallop said he felt the Storm coaching staff and players learned a few things they had not absorbed during all the media attention.

"It was a case of pointing out that the club did the wrong thing by the other clubs, players and fans of our competition. I was keen to make it clear to them we feel that in terms of process and penalty, we got it 100 per cent right," Gallop said.

Gallop said players raised questions about why the Canterbury Bulldogs only had their competition points stripped when salary rorts were uncovered in August 2002.

"We talked about comparable situations and we're comfortable that we did take that into account," he said."In many respects the Bulldogs were a lot further along the competition than the Storm were (three weeks from the finals) and they hadn't won premierships so they weren't exposed to that problem."

Gauci ended the meeting by inviting Gallop to return on Sunday for the Storm's final match of the year. He had to decline as he needs to be at Kogarah to present the J.J. Giltinan Shield for the minor premiership to St George Illawarra.